System for the progressive regulation of the flexibility of a laminated spring.



M. HOUDATLLE, SYSTEM FOR THE PROGRESSIVE HEGULATTON 0E THE T'EEXTBTUTY 0E A LAMTNATED SPRING.

APPUCAHN FILED DEC. 7. 1912.

Putentd 00T. 3, 1916.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2 M, HOUDAILLL SYSH'M FR Wi Pefofmsssvf mam/How of mi H Exzslllv of' A LAMINATEU SPRING.

Pmomod (M. 3, 19H?.

Oi" LEVALLOS-PERRET. FRANCE.

SYSTEM FOR THE PROGRl-.u "ff .ATETWI OFFICE.

L 'f1.5' .LULATH'JN OF THE YFLEXI BILITY OF A I..AMINATED SRING.

Applcane.;

To (1N 'rho/n. t may {x0/wim lle it known that I, Amann ihm n' :i nitixen of the French llsnnblif. i. :it LevaNoix-Perret. in hi'nnffe. have inv vented :i eertnin new und useful Si# the Progressivo Regulation o3 the hility of :i Laminated Spring. of whim. 's following is :i specificnion.

This invention relates to :i sj;5e|x'i ilu- Uhr progressive regulation of Lhe lli-xi ,'f/ rsiliency 0f laminated springs'. chie/lli ii-wi for the suspension ol vehicles.

The invention ohiefl),v eoneile in ma the, Chord of the spring so n. in rosiliincy in :iceoi'ihinife will: the iwal, i. enrrieil :unl relaite more nur nwrj.' if means enabling' the nnspenfgion \:;zi;ter.. nl the spring! to lm nionnleil in mi minnen that they Shonhl he nhl@ to 1" on 1' one lninil. on tho l'rnrne nl h ing the said hangers, und on il on the ends of the fspz'ii'iif; ralf h h# .l hangers connect to the liwirne. 'l iw enY tion also comprises Ineiii for onii'filliixif the movements of one or l'foil. ixpenfion hangers of one und the annie wir nl' giringa. or of springs of one unil. lie. mme valvole., either simultaneously or sirpnrnh'li.

The invention :ilse: Veluwe if thi' murine for controlling.r deforn'mlifm n? lh sminjy nniler the, rif-tion of iiilllewm lkml". measuring the ein'i'zitnre nl' th .will #o :is to nniln i: hetter rwgnlzxl'izin o." flexibility po.,'li.le. The inwinif'lrn comprises meuns for ohmining prminn. ...i jnslment. nml nlm; :inmnnstw enllinntznon.

hy [he howling inmeinims ilse :i 'he aeeon'ijimm'ing ilrsen'ings.' giyen by' m15 of exnml'fle: lmnre.: l dimm in Ile ulemtion the rezir part nl 1i niolormr lim-Tie vonstrnreil in fwrorflm e nilh one nl' the methods of cnrnvin; on? lhe invern lion. in which the wpenfi-m lwi* ma arranged in boxes iulernllv .www longgfitnflinfil memhers ol' the whiz-le. 3 is :i plfin corresponding to lfig.. is n erom-feeetion on the line 3 il of l of the fori'. if

Fizz. "f :i vertical Ser-rimini rivw mi i :1 1jol' Fil. 1. Fig. i: front elevzsion and Fig. 5 in n sille olewi of @me wnstiuctiori of the mi* mii r e an enlarged anule. Vin' l." i il tion similar lo Fig. il', lool-L in ii-.i n," Lettera Pntcnl.

Monteil Oei'. 3. 15H6.

limi mmm# lo flint of nid Fig. l. Fig. w :i rien. `V`iniilnr io Fig. l, of :mother con mention in nlfiifh the suspension hangers .irmngml in the intvrior of the longiininil Meir-herz .\liih thvnnehw. :ire d4 i'fmxf 'wi the pnrgmne. ["ig. i' i s :i )mriinl :zrmngjemenl xhown in Vig. l. h :ind l* :we i-1' ,r- .-;-"etion: i' nevliwly in Ihn line l H *i nml Srlwvfl of lliu. l. Figs. lif .tml il hun ilnzgrsin'inlutienlli'. in eli^'.:1- nin :unl plan. :i motor omnihn,`l which iS Mfwieil .niloimlamilli tn :iflhinsl Lhe Wings 'ingr lo the night of he puasengifrw. .lion in elevation n inonr wir fimne in imi lrx :nliiif-lineiir ezln he el'ei'iwl nl? iff l the ilriinr. in eonihinntion nilh :in e ol" le einwwiinre fgiwn tn the will #il liu i if l /fflzi'l ...in lion-1, nlm in elevation.y a i mnu .im .im on' ing lio thiS ini'ontion. 1n

lotion nl lhe lhfxiliiliiy of The il nolh beforehand :and :n1-

imnfwi'w'j 1in-g1 ile; olwmlion.

ln IW 'i Union shown in Fini. l'fl.

nl: (he willing nrm'hled f r ihinnlfh :inil in nhioh Lw lrfiieil. the pins of nnmwl hi' .Ql'mnlalefy ft hungern con Uhl i'ehiele. *n Llille i vl when o v. ni.

wi Y.

sw. mi' n Vm lo n p: :i han o, he ends -illv :n elongated 'l if the wirreleponflxrig zngvmen. the und i' eonneeterl to the hurl/'viii iliii limi of lll@ "r-:flniii ifi il hv the axle while :if he winni limo it ezln he ggmfwe ,'f, xieoorfling riff Si O

te the position of adjustment given te the said entit Atone of their ends, the rods f are eze tended and provided with a. bevel pinion li in gear with another lievel pinion carried by a spindle j which i5 continued by air other spindle la carrying the hei'el pinion which oiierates the device for regulating the flexibility of the spring iz on the other side.

In order to enable the two springs of one and the saine axle 'to oe simultaneously or v'separately adjusted7 the two spindles j and c are arranged in line with each other and so that they' can, rotate ei" er together` or separately. and in liotli directions. To that end, these tuo spindles are provided respectively with ratchet wheels m and 7i, with teeth arranged eo that two pawls mf, in? or nl or n: arranged iii. a direction opposite to each other, and in pairs, at each side of the lever Z, can engage with the said ratchet wheels7 according to thel direction in which they are pii'oiecl. These pawls are freely pii'oteil to the pivot pin of small oscillating levers q arranged at each eide of the lever i, anil controlled by the action of springs havin;I the tr-.ndeney to keep them in Contact with a tail or projection of the said levers f1* Eaeh of the said levers r] is eoiiiieetril/liy a rofl fr to a handle constituted liy a llrxilile blade engaging, owing to lateral pressure, with one or the other of the three notches l, al, if., niaile in a quadrant u arranged near the handle of the level' i'f.

The woi'liing of this construction, shown in Figs. l'i'i. and .Tais as follows: ln oriler to regulate sinonltaneousliv the two springs of omI und the saine Couple, the opvrator liist platzt-s the resi'irrtive roiitiol lm ilh-s or the two paire; ol iiawle mi i and a* if' into the saine notches l or o1 the corresponding (nimh-ants u, according to thi,l iirm-tioii in whirl; he wishes to rotate thi` two .spindles j ainl l', azul then Itrims a reciprocating movement lo the lever il. During that inoirinunt, that pa als ot each pair whirli has come into en gagirinriit with the eiirresponiliiig ratchet theol1 drives thi` latter wheel :is woll as its spindle, in an intirniittent rotary inoA lion. This motion is traiisinitteil :simultaneoiislil :inil in the sainer (lirertion to the two spindles j :iiul il". which brings about simultaneous moirnirnl ol the nuts, aiul eoiiseiiuriitli' nl' the suspension hangers of :lie two springs u of the saine axle. luring these iarioiia nitiieiiieiits. the siisinriision hangers of one aiiil the saine spring' more in ihn ilii'eirtioigi opposite to rcwli other; in orilrr to niovr tla'ui away from or nearer io nach othen accordingY to the ailiustinent to he ohtaineil.

Thr more-nient o'l the susiienfion hangers will be to liriiig thein nearer to each other when thi` i'eliiule one of the twir will ziet alternately on the respective ratchetwheuls of the two spindles and le, so as to turn tl'iin simultaneously in opposite directions` wliieh brings aliout the adjustnienl ol the two springs by increasing and r'rilufing inversely their respective lleiiliilities.

lii the nioilififtl construction shown in Figs. G-ll.' the saine regulation of the lli-xiliilitr of the springs is elfeeted, but with the ilitlerenee that the hoxes b are arranged in the interior ut' the space foriiieil li): the longitudinal nieniliers .1' which are shaped for the purpose. ln this construction. the hoxes l; are provided with grooves iiito which slifle projections provided on the nuts r aiiil forming guides for the snspeir.

sion hangers d. The movement of the said hangers l is obtained by means ot' flexible :shafts arranged in the interior of the longitiiilinal members and operated in the'saine niaiiner as in Figs. 1-5. Regulation ol the suspension hangers Jfor modilying the chord ot the springs, can be also etlleeleil h v means of an auxiliary hailrl wheel ii transmitting the movement to the here] pinion l);` means oi' a chain 02, as sholvn in the ronstrurtion Figli, The flexibility of a spring ran also be automaticalliv regulateil either hij the load itself, or ilurin;r the working nl" the spring.

The application lo a motor oniiiihus. illustrated liy waiv of example in Figs. 1li :nul ll` hows that thiz Said autoniatir regulation van he iilitaineil owing' to the weight of the paas-,enger (calculated on the average. say :it Tt) kg. each.) To that end. the rear plattorni nl: the vehicle ran he iiroiiileil with two independent tout lmai'ils n p tor the passengers. one intenilril for getting on. anil the other l'or getting oil'. These two l'oot lioarils ari`l roniierieil i'rspertively h v rolls :iiul levers to the pawls ili'iwlng the l'ati'het wheels m n, i'lrpenilrnt on the spindle j ll'heii la passenger. on getting into the ru hiule. lowers on(` ot thifoot lioarils. for instanfr thi lont lioai'il o'. il arts on the transmission oi' movement tor aiiloniatr rulli reilluingg' the rhoiil of the .sitaiil springs :intl bringing' their 'lrxiliility in aeroi'ilanfe with the` new wright ailrleii to the load. When, on the contrary7 a passenger descends from the vehicle; b v passing over the -otlier foot board.' the` one marked 7X, lie acts bending movements of the said springs.

In the posit-ion shown by way of example in ["igs.v 12 and 13, eachsprng a is onneeted in the eenterby means of rods 't' t2 and bell-crank levers u. it to :the haul-i li" of a dial arranged oil-the front lilashLboard of the'vehicle. 'lfhe'cnnecting rods tg'of the two .springs of one `and the'saine.' axle. are connected to the bell-rai-ik lever. uL acting on the hand,` b v means a which transform the diilerential movements ot the two springs intoan average: travel. 'lho sja-ings' could also be connected to separate 'indicators. In those conditions, theA springs being calculated so'as to retain a given euivature underany loads which they may havi` to bear. theindieato'r hand r" i`vill`indieat-e the extent of th'e adjustment 'which must be effected for bringing the spring to its normal curvature when the loadwariesl' This ailjustnient can he eifeete'd b v the driver fromv his Seat',by means ofthe"l wheel '/i,' in accordanee wit'lrt-he exact value desired.A sini-- ply'by reading the lndicatoi:v dial, after-'each loading on `iin-loading. l l`lie`lniiid of th'e dial coiilil berendered, if desired. independent of the mo'ven'ient of the springspand' brought iii-to engagement with the saine during the adjustment.l

li'i'eases in which it may lie eonsidered necessary that the eurvature ol' the springs shoijldehange iii acizoidaliee with the chord, in a j fiven prjiportion` the variation in question can be. obtained b v giving foiaiiistanieY to the. hand. 1" a curviof niovenii-nl siinilar to the. curve ofV i'liflierenee of flexibility. Thus, for inst-aime. vinstead of the' movi-nient of the springs being tiinsinitted in a uni.- form manner to the indicator dial. as in ihe Caseof springs with' a constant i-,iirvatiire (Figs. 13 andli), then'ioveinent in ouestion could be transmitted so as to obtain the desired`proj`iortion between theeurvature .of the spring and its chord. according to the adjustment given to the latter; ln the construction of such a transmission shown in Fig. l5. the variation in `ijiiistion is obtainedby means of a Cain of-a given cross-section. ii'iserted between the spring (i. and the indieatorhand. B v actin;Y b v hand on the rod t2 Connecting the indicator to the lever u' coming into Contact with the fain J', the lever in question and the cani' could ments.

Ifig. l? showsby way of example a 0011580 struction, b v means of which tl1e" 1.id iutof' 1n 'thatv .pivoted to each otherI The joi'nt'of the'rods will lie therefore that'thivresiliene be sejiarai'ed from eai-h other. in such manner that the. indicato'r hand would work only when desired and :it thefiuo'n'ient, de-

` sired.

ln the eonstruiziion shown in l"i s...l l and l0, the variation in question is given by a lever l' on whii-h :ietsI direetlj1 the eliaissis during the deformation of the spring. A11- tornatie adjustment'v ol: the resiliency of. a I

lai'ninated sprin'j'. 'can also be obtained by --3 the variation of the rcspeetive positions of its points of; support, obtained during working :ind b y its vario-lis .bending m'OV-' matie regulation ean be effected-. construction, the points of support d off-the springs are .ronneoted tdgether by rOdS;

w is -eonneeteil tol the Center of thespring by a tie y. the. length off-whioh-fean bevaried b v means of av turiibi'ick-lez coperating with serewthreaded portions on the tie l/'.

Il v rotating the. turnlniiflcle z' thojonie or in the other direction` the tief/- is lengtle, ,i

ened or 'shortenei'h and cousoiji'iently the chord of the spring can he adjustek'l beforen hand to suit the initial.resilienc')Y thatfis to '95l be given to it iindei;agivennloiulx; This preliminary adjustinentfliaving lbeen 'eff teeted. the movements,ofj-th'e spring itself will themselves automatically litS.

ehord; so as to bring itsffle bilit cordance1with. its. liendingino ement A fact. under tht-.faction shoiiks tlie tgi will .act onfthe rods'vfgandQl-iaye tltitefrid-v ency to reduce the chord of Athe.:Sprlng dur-n" ing the eoinpression:periodi .and to i it durin; r the expai'ision period..'mlfersltn i (ifftli'e/ lduitingy spring will be -automaticall v varie the working. and will .helalw'aysbJ oiigl'it in aecordanee with the deforinatimt ofthe'fsniid sprinf, whatever -be the shock which `it may experience.

In the 'construction shownin Fig.' lfi', pref vious adjustment of resiliency efe'ctedhy vmeans of a chain ii" in aecordance with the bendingr moven'ients of `the sj'iring. the said chain being operated b v the driver 'by means of any suitable gear. ln the, .construction .shown in Vig. l'i', one. of the. hangers (l can Ii.

he onneoteil to the indicatorgiliahwithout it being necessary to insert any other intermediate parts.

rl"he variation ofresilielney of the springA llo'A leg usually employed for connectingthe axle to'the frame. This arrangementis also applicable to the springs of front steering wheels ofa vehicle, and to rear driving wheels'ga-the construction being identically the same, the frontsuspension hanger being arranged so as to be guided horizontally for the variation of the chord of the spring, and vertically for the thrust of the frame by the said spring.

In all its constructions, the invention is easily applicable to the compensated suspension of vehicles with load varying to a great extent, and makes it possible always to bring the resiliency of the springs in accordance with the said loads, so as to deaden the oscillations.

What I claim as my invention and desire to secure by Letters Patent is 1. In a device for regulating the flexibility of laminated vehicle springs connected to the frame of the vehicle, the combination of suspension hangers sliding in slots arranged in the ends of the main leaf of the spring, guides secured to the frame of the vehicle for guiding the suspension hangers longitudinally, and rods connecting the two suspension hangers for simultaneously displacing the said hangers apart.

2. In a device for regulating the {ieXibility of laminated vehicle springs connected to the frame of the vehicle, the combination of suspension hangers sliding in slots arranged in the ends of -the main leaf of the spring, ides secured to the frame of the vehicle, or guiding the suspension hangers longitudinally, rods connecting the two suspension hangers for simultaneously displacing the said hangers apart and means for actuating the said rods and adjusting the relative position of the hangers according to the load.

3. In a device for regulating the flexibility of laminated vehicle springs connected to the frame of' the vehicle, the combina,- tion of Suspension tangers formed by rollers moving in slots atthe ends of the main leaf of the spring, guides secured to the vehicle frame for gliding the suspension hangers longitudinally to the said frame, rods opposilalv screwthreaded at their ends, a bevel gear to actuate the said screwthreaded rods and to regulate simultaneously the position of the suspension hangers, means for artuatiitg tliefsaid bevel gear in the di- [cation in which the suspension hangers are to be moved, a dial indicator for reading the elasticity of the spring under different loads, and a. pivoted link and lever gear connecting the said springs with the indicatordial.

4. In a device for regulating the flexibility of laminated vehicle. springs connected to the frame of the vehicle, the combination of suspension hangers formed by rollers moving in slots at the ends of the main leaf of the spring, guides secured to the vehicle frame for guiding the suspension hangers longitudinally to the said frame, rods oppositely screw-threaded at their ends, a bevel gear to actuate the said screwthreaded rods and to regulate simultaneously the position of the suspension hangers, means for actuating the said bevel gear in the hangers are to be moved, a dial indicator for reading the elasticity of the spring under different loads, and means arranged intermediate the springs and dial. indicator and actuated by said springs for the pur pose set forth.

5. In Ya deviceHfor regulating the ilexibility of laminated vehicle springs connected to the frame of the vehicle, the combination of suspension hangers formed by rollers moving in Slots at the ends of the main leaf of the spring, guides secured to the vehicle frame for guiding the suspension hangers longitudinally, a spindle having oppositely screw-threaded ends connecting the suspension hangers, a bevel gear actuating the said screw-threads and simultaneously adjusting the relative position of the hangers, a control lever adapted ,to oscillate around the spindle of one of the bevel gear Wheels, two ratchets with oppositely arranged teeth securd to said spindle, two oppositely arranged pawls secured to each other and acting on the two ratchet wheels respectively, a handle arranged on the controlling lever and connected to the pawls to actuate one of the latter, a dial with Yan indicating Yhand arranged in front of the driver of the vehicle, a transmission comprising rods and levers connecting said Ihand tol means which transform the movement of two springs into an average travel, two connecting rods connecting the ends of said means to bell-crank levers arranged at each side of the frame, a cam which can oscillate on the longitudinal members of the frame above each spring, and a lever contiguous to the said cam and to a connecting rod connecting the said lever to each spring.

6, In a device for regulating the flexibility of 'laminated vehicle springs connected to the frame of the vehicle, the combination of suspension hangers formed by rollers moving in slots arranged on the ends of the main leaf of the spring, guides secured to the vehicle frame for guiding the suspension hangers `longitudinally, a spindle having oppositely screw-threaded ends connecting the two suspension hangers, a bevel gear for actuating the said screw-threads and simultaneously adjusting the relative position of the hangers, two ratchet wheels with oppositely arranged teeth keyed to the shaft of the bevel gear, two pawls adapted to act oppositely on the two ratchet wheels, two

direction in which the suspension foot boards connected respectively to the said' ratchet wheels :ind operating the bevel pinions in the desired direction for bring ing about the regulation of the position of the. hangers` according to thc ioad on the vi-hicicT :i dini indicator for enabling the control of the elasticity of the spring under the different loads und a connection Comprising rods :ind levers hinged between the springs and the said indicating dial with 1) the interposifion of a cam.

In testimony whereof I have signed my name to this specification in. the presence of two subscribing witnesses.

MAURICE HOUDAILLE.

Witnesses 1 HANsoN C. COKE, GEORGES BONNEUIL. 

